Fairbanks

About Fairbanks

Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. Fairbanks is the largest city in the interior region of Alaska and the second most populous city in the state. The 2020 census put the population of the city proper at 32,515 and the population of the Fairbanks North Star Borough at 95,655, making it the second most populous metropolitan area in Alaska, after Anchorage. The Metropolitan Statistical Area encompasses all of the Fairbanks North Star Borough and is the northernmost metropolitan statistical area in the United States, located 196 miles (315 kilometers) by road (140 mi or 230 km by air) south of the Arctic Circle.

In August 1901, E. T. Barnette founded a trading post on the south bank of the Chena River. A gold discovery near the trading post sparked the Fairbanks Gold Rush, and many miners moved to the area. There was a boom in construction, and in November 1903, the area's residents voted to incorporate Fairbanks as a city. Barnette became the first mayor, and the city flourished during the gold rush. By World War I, the population had plunged, but rose again during the Great Depression as the price of gold increased.

During the 1940s and 1950s, the city became a staging area for the entire construction of military depots during World War II and the Cold War. Fort Wainwright, previously named Ladd Field, was built east of the city beginning in 1938 and is operated by the U.S. Army. After the discovery of the Prudhoe Bay Oil Field in 1968, the city became a supply point for the oil field, as well as for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. With the establishment of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in 1964, the city became the borough seat. Tourism is also a factor in Fairbanks' economy.

Fairbanks is in the Tanana Valley, straddling the Chena River near its confluence with the Tanana River. The Tanana River marks the city's southern border, and the Tanana Flats, a large area of marsh and bog, is south of the river. Fairbanks is the coldest city in the United States. Monthly mean temperatures range from −8.3 °F (−22.4 °C) in January to 62.9 °F (17.2 °C) in July. In winter, Fairbanks's location in the Tanana Valley causes cold air to accumulate in the city and warm air to rise up the hills to the north, and the city experiences one of the biggest temperature inversions on Earth.

Fairbanks is home to the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the founding campus of the University of Alaska system, established in 1917. Fairbanks International Airport is located three miles (4.8 km) southwest of the central business district of the city.

Text: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Fairbanks weather: 7-day forecast

Source: National Weather Service (NOAA).

Live webcams in Fairbanks

Webcams: Windy.com

Living in Fairbanks

Median household income

$73,534

Median home value

$268,400

Median rent

$1,496/mo

Median age

29

Map of Fairbanks

Tap any street on the map to see it in Street View below. Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Fairbanks Street View

Drag the image to look around and tap the arrows on the ground to move. If it says there is no imagery, tap a nearby street on the map above.

Fairbanks, AK population

Fairbanks had 32,515 residents in the 2020 Census.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Decennial Census.

Fairbanks at a glance

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (Gazetteer, ZCTA), USGS GNIS, Wikidata.

Towns near Fairbanks

• South Van Horn4.5 mi SW
• Farmers Loop5.0 mi N
• College5.3 mi W
• Badger7.9 mi E
• Steele Creek8.7 mi NE
• Fox9.3 mi N
• North Pole10.4 mi SE
• Chena Ridge11.6 mi W
• Ester11.8 mi W
• Goldstream13.1 mi NW
• Two Rivers16.9 mi E
• Moose Creek16.9 mi SE

Straight-line distance between town centers.

Frequently asked questions about Fairbanks